Li Xiu never thought that one day he would need to humbly ask to see Xue Bai, but he might not be able to see Xue Bai yet. After asking Shi Zhong many times, he finally got a reply.
"My husband will be able to see you for half an hour at noon today."
Li Linfu was probably in this posture when he was so powerful. Li Xiu cursed, but he was still sweating while waiting for Xue Bai.
Now is the hottest time in midsummer. Even in the cooler Lishan Mountain, the wind is blowing with heat. With a "squeaking" sound, the door of the house was pushed open, and Xue Bai came in holding a bowl of locust leaf cold noodles.
.
"Have you eaten?"
Li Xiu looked at the bowl and saw that there was still ice steam in the bowl. The green noodles were paired with fresh vegetables. He said, "I have eaten noodles made from the young leaves of acacia japonica, pounded into juice and mixed with noodles. Only the royal chef can make them."
"Well, it was given by the saint, let's try it."
"Are you showing off that you have received the grace of a saint?"
In Xue Bai's view, this was not something worth showing off. He shook his head casually and said, "I can't even eat it. The taste is just average."
"Where are the Seventeenth Mother and the others?"
"They can't eat cold food, you can eat it."
Through this sentence, Li Xiu knew that the relationship between Xue Bai and Li Tengkong was well maintained, so he felt relieved and asked: "I heard that Wang Zhongsi passed away from illness. Something seems to have happened here in Lishan? My guard is very tight outside."
"Yes." Xue Bai sighed.
Li Xiu took the locust leaf cold noodles and took a sip of the ice soup first. She was no longer so nervous. She mused: "This is a good thing for you. Although Wang Zhongsi is not showing his face at the moment, he must be closer to the prince."
, if he is dead, it will be easier to win over his generals."
Xue Bai did not deny the matter and asked: "Do you have a list?"
"Yes." Li Xiu took out a small scroll from his sleeve, "I wrote this from memory after I got the news. In fact, my grandfather's archives are more complete, but unfortunately it was confiscated by the spitting pot."
For more than ten years, Wang Zhongsi had never failed to report his merits to the court and promoted generals to bypass the prime minister. Li Xiu certainly knew something about his interpersonal relationships.
Xue Bai unfolded the scroll and took a look, and saw Li Guangbi, Wang Sili, Wang Nanran, Lai Ai and others. This was definitely an era of bright generals. Even without Wang Zhongsi, the Tang Dynasty would not lack famous generals. But if
Ignoring the source of the chaos, no matter how many famous generals there are, it will be useless.
He probably compared it in his mind with the information he already had about Wang Zhongsi's disciples and their past, and nodded, feeling satisfied.
Thanks to Li Linfu's years of training, Li Xiu is talented and visionary. However, Li Linfu is too strong, which makes him indecisive and difficult to take charge of alone. But he can actually be a very good supporting talent.
"Speaking of which, do you still remember why I brought you to Lishan?"
Li Xiu said: "Just as I was about to tell you about this, I thought that the reason why my grandfather wanted to read those volumes of documents before he died was because he met a certain person."
"who?"
"Gao Lishi." Li Xiu said: "At that time, my grandpa asked me to pour tea. When I returned to the house, Gao Lishi had already left. I thought it was unusual for him to come to visit my grandpa on holy orders. But
I have thought about it carefully recently and found out that it was only after I met Gao Lishi that I mentioned that you have a different identity."
"Any more?"
Li Xiu didn't have any more news, but he still had one unanswered question, so he asked, "Do you plan to take the Seventeenth Mother as your concubine?"
After saying that, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth, thinking that his sister was originally a daughter of the prime minister's house, but in the end she was willing to be a concubine.
However, Xue Bai was silent, not knowing what he was thinking about.
"Are you... unwilling?" Li Xiu couldn't be sure of Xue Bai's thoughts and couldn't help but feel nervous.
After a while, Xue Bai seemed to have made up his mind, his eyes became firm, and he asked: "Is your family also a clan?"
"Yes, my great ancestor is King Changping, and he and Emperor Gaozu are cousins."
Li Xiu agreed proudly. After a moment, he felt the meaning behind Xue Baiwen's words. His expression changed and he said, "What does this have to do with you accepting the Seventeenth Mother?"
Xue Bai did not answer directly, but asked: "Do you think, why did your grandfather care about my identity before he died? Why did Gao Lishi come to ask him about me?"
He had made up his mind, but he was not determined to take Li Tengkong as his concubine, but wanted to have a showdown with Li Xiu in order to take her completely for his own use.
This incident with Wang Zhongsi made Xue Bai realize that as long as Li Longji was still in power, all his efforts to prevent chaos would be in vain.
Although the Anshi Rebellion had deeper causes of the times, even if it was called a big wave of history, Li Longji was the helmsman on the ship of the Tang Dynasty. Not only could he not be able to hold the ship to avoid the big waves, he could even drive it to face the big waves.
Beat.
When Xue Bai was in Huashan, he tried like crazy to get rid of the leader, but failed to do so. After a long period of time, he could not find a better opportunity, and it was difficult for him to muster the courage to act again.
Now there is a sense of urgency again.
One day, he may find an opportunity to wear armor and enter the palace, but before that, he must establish his identity.
"Who do you think I am?"
Li Xiu asked tentatively: "Are you really Xue Xi's son?"
Xue Bai said to himself: "I only have this little imagination."
In Li Xiu's opinion, Xue Bai's most realistic identity is that of an orphan adopted by Xue Xiu. If he said that Xue Bai was Xue Xiu's biological son just to make a fuss, he would accept it.
As for some of the more exaggerated speculations, he had heard about them, but he never thought that they could be true, so he automatically discarded them in his mind. But now, Xue Bai's eyes and tone made him feel frightened.
"What do you mean?"
"Will you support me?"
"Support you... for what?"
"Take back the place that is rightfully mine."
Xue Bai added another sentence in a tone that was completely unworthy of the important and secret news.
"Let me tell you clearly, I am the orphan of the Three Commoners case, the third son left by the former prince."
"What?"
Li Xiu was stunned, and his first reaction was fear.
It's like a person who sleeps in late, knowing that it's dawn and covering his head, he can still fall asleep. But once he lifts the quilt and sees the sun, he will only find it dazzling and close his eyes tightly to avoid the light.
Li Xiu took two steps back in this evasive posture. When his body touched the pillar, he realized that he had no way to retreat and asked: "Why did you tell me? Aren't you afraid that I would tell you?"
"Assisting me is the best way for you." Xue Bai said, "Your grandfather has offended too many people when he was alive. Without my protection, you will die sooner or later without a burial place. But how long can I protect you? How long?
, even long enough for you to regain your dignity and no longer need shelter."
Li Xiu hadn't been able to get into the rhythm of the conversation yet. For him, all kinds of information came too fast. He had just heard Xue Bai's confession about his life experience a moment ago. Before he could confirm the authenticity of the matter, the topic had directly turned to how to solve the problem.
Seeking the throne.
And when he was caught off guard, Xue Bai still said something that moved him.
"Do you want to be the prime minister like your grandfather one day and rule the world? This time, just be a virtuous prime minister who will leave a name in history."
"you……"
When Li Xiu opened his mouth, he originally wanted to ask, "Are you really the son of the deposed prince?", but he soon realized that such a question would only offend Xue Bai and teach Xue Bai to look down upon him, so he calmed down.
He looked down and noticed the cold locust leaf noodles in the bowl, so he picked up a chopstick to show his calmness, but in fact he was in a mess inside.
One thing is clear, even if he obtains the saint's forgiveness by informing him and no longer has to serve in the army, the people he offended in the past will still kill him.
"I am a mediocre person, and I am afraid that I will not be able to become a wise prime minister." Li Xiu chewed cold noodles and said in a slow and somewhat vague tone: "But you saved my family, and I will try my best wherever you are asked."
This was considered a statement, but Xue Bai didn't react much.
Li Xiu was stunned for a moment before he realized what he was doing. He quickly swallowed the food in his mouth, took a sip of water, straightened his clothes, stood in front of Xue Bai, and bowed solemnly.
"Li Xiu is not talented, but he is willing to work hard for his husband!"
Xue Bai just supported him with both hands and said: "You should go to Longyou for the time being. In addition to performing meritorious services, I need you to contact Wang Zhongsi's old subordinates who are still in Longyou for me. I will have a letter for you before you leave.
.”
"yes."
From this, Li Xiu felt that Xue Bai's ambition was not just talk, but had hidden strength.
He was not too worried about winning the support of Wang Zhongsi's old troops, but he was still worried about the matter that he had not finished talking about just now.
"Gao Lishi seems to be checking your identity. Is it dangerous?"
"It doesn't matter, I will handle it..."
The conversation soon reached half an hour. Xue Bai looked at the sky and left immediately because he had something to do later.
Logically speaking, he is not that busy in Shushe, but he does have an appointment with someone.
~~
To the southwest of Huaqing Palace, there is a courtyard called "Jiaoyuan", where Zanthoxylum bungeanum is grown.
Zanthoxylum bungeanum is now an extremely valuable thing, and can even be used as currency like gold and silver. This shows that the pepper garden is extraordinary. This is the place where Zanthoxylum bungeanum was planted for the saint.
Xue Bai arrived outside the garden and was stopped by an old eunuch. He then took out a decree and said: "I won the domino game with the sage. The sage allowed me to pick a few kilograms of pepper."
He walked into the pepper garden and walked to the deepest part of the courtyard, where he saw Wang Yunxiu sitting on the steps.
Looking back again, the old eunuch who followed him had walked away at some point. Xue Bai then stepped forward and had a few words with Wang Yunxiu.
"Over in Chang'an, has the funeral been completed?"
"Yeah." Wang Yunxiu sighed, hugging her knees and looking at the patches of pepper trees in the distance, and said: "When the peppercorns bear fruit around the Mid-Autumn Festival, every inch of land in this garden is precious. Grandpa said that he
He often came here to play when he was young. At that time, he did not know the value of peppercorns and cut off many branches and leaves with his sword, but the saint did not blame him."
"The saint has no intention of deposing the prince." Xue Bai said, "After all, your grandfather has passed away from illness."
What the two of them said seemed to have nothing to do with each other, but they knew the context of the conversation.
"Okay." Wang Yunxiu said: "In this way, my grandfather finally got what he wanted."
Wang Zhongsi and Li Heng were raised together in the palace since childhood. Xue Bai declined to comment on their relationship.
He came today and had something he wanted, so he said: "My teacher is going to Longyou to handle a big event. I have told Commander-in-Chief about this before."
"I brought the token Xue Lang asked for from Chang'an."
Wang Yunxiu turned sideways, picked up a package from the steps, and said, "The letter is also among them."
"Thank you very much." Xue Bai took it, opened it and took a few glances.
"And this." Wang Yunxiu picked up a huge sack that was nearly as tall as a man. It could be seen that there was a bow inside. "This is the bow that my grandfather used in his early years. He shot countless enemies with this bow. Later, he used it to kill countless enemies."
Put it away and haven't used it in years."
"Why?"
"He is old and can no longer pull the bow." Wang Yunxiu said, "He made an excuse, claiming that he was reminding himself that when encountering problems, he should not first think of using force to solve the problem. 'War is for the peace of the world, and you should not abandon the foundation for the sake of the end.'
.”
Xue Bai reached out to take it, but he didn't expect that the bow was extremely heavy. When Wang Yunxiu let go, he almost dropped it to the ground, so he had to lean over and pick it up quickly.
"Is it heavy?" Wang Yunxiu smiled narrowly and said, "It's a hundred and fifty pounds."
"Thank you, sister-in-law, for your trust."
Xue Bai put the bow on his back, hesitated a little, and said, "Then I'll take my leave."
As one of the few insiders of the whole matter, Wang Yunxiu originally had many things on her mind that she wanted to talk to him about, but those were no longer relevant to the business, so she nodded casually and clasped her fists with the neat attitude that a daughter of a general should have.
Said: "Goodbye."
…
On the way back, Xue Bai met Yuan Zai at Wangxian Bridge.
Yuan Zai was riding across the bridge, followed by a carriage. There was a woman in the carriage who happened to peek out and saw the beauty of the country.
"Xue Lang, what a coincidence, where did it come from?"
"Brother Gongfu, what is this?"
"Run an errand." Yuan Zai laughed at himself and waved his hand. It was an errand that he was too embarrassed to talk about, so he just didn't mention it.
Xue Bai said politely: "It seems that I need to help my brother Gongfu a lot in the future."
"What are you talking about? The only friendship between you and me is to support each other."
Yuan Zai felt that Xue Bai had undergone some changes... He seemed to be more tactful, but in fact he didn't care much anymore. In addition to not caring about official position and rank, there was also a lack of care about principles and order.
In the past, Xue Bai had a "straightforward" temperament, deliberately retaining the edges and corners. When he saw him carrying a beautiful woman to present, he had to express his dissatisfaction. But today, he just exchanged a few perfunctory greetings.
He must be disappointed with the government.
But a truly perseverant person will not give up even if he is disappointed, let alone change his ambition. Yuan Zai decided to give in and give in. When he comes to power one day, he must change the atmosphere in the court.
Thinking of this, Yuan Zai looked back, suddenly squinted his eyes, and felt a little confused about the huge package on Xue Baima's back.
~~
At night, Xue Bai sat under the candlelight and looked at today's harvest. He put down a broken wristband with knife marks, picked up a breastplate with arrow holes, turned it over and saw that the breastplate was still covered with blood.
There is a word "弼" written on it.
Then there was a gun head wrapped in a rag. Unfold the rag, and it read crookedly "The King Rarely Killed the Tubo Prince with One Shot." Looking at the gun head again, it was completely blunt, and it was stained with old black blood.
Integrate into one.
Although he had not seen it with his own eyes, he could imagine how elegant the soldiers and generals in Longyou were.
"Dong dong dong."
The knock on the door sounded a little annoying, and then the door creaked open. Yan Yan looked inside and walked in.
"What are you busy with, husband?"
"If you pick up some items, you can ask your father-in-law to take them to Longyou."
After saying this, Yan Yan had no choice but to give up her attitude of asking for help and said: "I'll tell you something after my husband is busy."
Xue Bai put the items away carefully and said, "You can talk about it now."
Just as Yan Yan was about to speak, she suddenly sniffed and said suspiciously: "It smells good. My husband went to see the woman today?"
"Um?"
"She is still a woman I have never known before. The fragrance of flowers is mixed with the smell of incense thread."
"I know you have a good nose." Xue Bai said, "But it's not what you think. It's a business matter."
"Okay." Yan Yan obviously had something to say. After looking around for a few words, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Did you take advantage of the opportunity?"
Xue Bai was surprised, and just as he was about to speak, he glanced outside the door and saw that Qing Lan was there, and even Li Jilan, Jiao Nu, and Mian'er were hiding there and eavesdropping.
This gave him an excuse not to answer, so he waved his hand, got up and walked out.
"I won't make trouble with you anymore. I am the best woman in the world."
"Mr. Lang is shy?"
Qing Lan asked in a low voice, and several women started laughing at Xue Bai.
Xue Bai let them laugh and hid alone in a small courtyard, pacing under the moonlight and thinking.
He trusted Li Tengkong and decided to tell her his thoughts. Since he was pretending to be the emperor's grandson, he should gradually let some credible people know his "identity".
This is not a big problem, but it is too unreasonable and may hurt her heart. He considers himself a villain who will do anything for power, so he keeps saying in his heart that there is no need to worry about these trivial matters of love between children.
After careful consideration, I walked through the Moon Gate and saw a beautiful figure in front of me.
Li Tengkong didn't hold a whisk tonight, but held a round fan. Maybe it was too hot and he was enjoying the coolness.
"Xue Lang? Why are you here?"
Xue Bai originally thought that she was waiting for him on purpose, but it could be seen that her expression was calm and composed. It was not like she was pretending. It must be a chance encounter. He couldn't help but secretly thought that he was being sentimental again.
"Just enjoy the cool air and do some business... There are a lot of mosquitoes."
"Is that much?" Li Tengkong said, "I'm surprised there are no mosquitoes at night. Maybe they all went to bite you."
After saying this, she smiled, which was especially sweet compared to usual. Maybe it was because the moonlight shone hazily on the person, making Xue Bai feel in a daze. He was not as awake as usual, so he felt like this.
"You were right."
He pulled up his sleeves, stretched out his arms, and showed Li Tengkong the mosquito bites all over his arms. She hesitated slightly, then naturally took his hand, looked closer, and laughed happily.
"Really, don't move. I have aloe vera juice for you to apply."
Li Tengkong took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, dipped his fingers in aloe vera juice and applied it on Xue Bai's skin. Her fingers were cold.
The two of them were very close, and when he looked at her, the skin on her face was as smooth and crystal clear as freshly peeled protein, her eyelashes were slightly upturned, and her eyes were focused.
Maybe she noticed his gaze, so she ducked her eyes for a moment and then pretended to apply the medicine seriously.
"I have something to tell you." Xue Bai said.
"Yeah." Li Tengkong said he was listening.
"It's a very secret matter. We need to find another place to go."
"Huh? Isn't that... inappropriate?"
"It's a very secret thing."
Li Tengkong bit his lip and said, "How about we go to Lianlifeng Peak? No one else can hear us when we talk on the top of the mountain."
As expected of a Taoist priest, she always likes to sit on the top of the mountain and talk, both in Shouyang Mountain and Huashan Mountain. Or conversely, because she always hugs him on the top of the mountain, she likes to go to the top of the mountain.
Xue Bai looked up and said, "That's fine, but there are a lot of mosquitoes."
Lianlifeng Peak is right next to Mrs. Guo Guo's property and is not very high. The two of them went up the mountain at night and inevitably had a lot of physical contact. When they reached the top of the mountain, they naturally sat on a big rock leaning against each other.
There was no one around and everything was silent. Only in such a situation did Li Tengkong dare to put aside the shackles of the world and lean into Xue Bai's arms.
"I met your brother today."
Speaking of Li Xiu, Xue Bai only left Li Xiu half an hour to talk, but spent the whole night climbing with Li Tengkong.
After he pondered for a while, he said: "I told your brother about my life experience."
"Your life experience?"
Xue Bai couldn't say it, but people who manipulate power often have extremely thick skin.
"Your family is a distant branch of the clan. In terms of seniority, your grandfather is the uncle of the saint. In this way, you are two generations older than me."
Li Tengkong was stunned for a moment, staring at Xue Bai with a pair of bright eyes, and asked in surprise: "How could it be? You just put my grandpa and the saint together in the hierarchy, what about you?"
"Um."
"Impossible, unless you are... a three-person case?"
"Um."
"real?"
Xue Bai did not answer immediately.
Except for Du Jin, he didn't tell anyone that he was pretending to be the emperor's grandson. Even Du Jin thought he was really the emperor's grandson.
He had clearly thought about it for a long time and thought that as an unscrupulous and ruthless politician, he should firmly tell Li Tengkong that he was the emperor's grandson. This might make her very sad, but it would be of great benefit to his future.
In the future, when he wants to prove his identity, this past of wielding a sword of wisdom to cut off love will become one of his evidences.
At that time, his supporters will be able to say, "The reason why His Highness does not marry Li Qiniang is precisely because of his status," and Li Tengkong will also become a favorable witness.
It's not that he trampled on her feelings to pave the way for his ambition, but that if they were together, they would become his handle, and if they told the truth, it would increase the risk, so he had to make her sad for the time being, and wait until he had absolute power.
If people can oppose him again, he can give her an explanation...
But at this moment, facing Li Tengkong's affectionate eyes, Xue Bai couldn't tell the lie he had carefully weaved.
He looked at her for a long time, and finally, he raised the corners of his mouth, showing an open and relaxed smile.
"Fake."
That's all, he couldn't be completely ruthless. If one day he failed because of Li Tengkong's bad words, Xue Bai would admit it.
He has already made too many calculations, and he doesn't want to continue to make plans against the people closest to him.
Then, Xue Bai apologized and explained: "Although it is fake, I still can't welcome you in right now..."
Before he finished speaking, a pair of soft lips sealed his mouth.
He felt a warmth and hugged Li Tengkong involuntarily.
"..."
For a long time, the two separated for a moment.
"Xiaoxian, I am not a good person, I am too ambitious."
"I know, I know how much you trust me when you say that 'fake'."
Li Teng said nothing and kissed Xue Bai again.
Afterwards, she remembered and added "I deserve your trust" and continued to post it.
As for Xue Baina not accepting her as his concubine? Since she had accidentally lost the opportunity to become his wife, why did she still care about this?
She broke through the world of mortals and fell back into the world of mortals. She only cared about him.
Under the illumination of the moonlight, the clothes of the two people on Lianli Peak were fluttering, as if the grass and trees were growing together, forming a continuous branch.